To recap:
"So when was the last time?" Rachel persisted.
Lois swallowed, turned even redder and shook her head. "I don't, I'm not about to tell you."
"It's been months, hasn't it? If not years. Do yourself a favor, find a buddy to sleep with. Maybe even Mr. Kent here."
At that, Lois rose and left the bar.
"Well, thanks for your time," Clark said, hastening to leave before Rachel could start in on him. "If we have any follow-up questions, we'll call you."
Clark caught up to Lois outside the hotel. "So, I'll pick you up at nine-thirty?" he asked her.
"For what?" Lois was still flustered. What did he think he was going to do with her at nine-thirty?
"We're meeting Kevin from MetEd at ten, yes?"
"Fine. I'll see you at nine-thirty." Lois was grateful he didn't say anything about Rachel's comments. She shook her head as she watched Clark walking away.
Just when she was certain she knew him, or knew what he was going to do in a given situation, he surprised her.
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Part 4/?
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As promised, Kevin was waiting on the corner of Twelfth and Bessolo when they arrived. He gave them each a hard hat with a light attached and gestured for them to follow as he took off down Twelfth Street.
"If you really want to know a city, you should go underground," he told them. "There's a labyrinth of tunnels beneath Metropolis. The first sewage system was built in 1848. It was well designed and the majority of it is still in service. There are multiple cisterns under the city as well that were built at the same time. We'll be in a newer tunnel tonight, one designated for access, not sewage, so don't worry about getting your feet wet."
They turned a corner onto a side street and Kevin stopped them at a manhole cover. "I think your guy came in here, although it's possible he could have entered the system from anywhere. They're all interconnected but this is the only place for at least a half-mile that you don't need a ladder to get into."
Kevin pulled the manhole cover off, dragging it aside and sat down, letting his feet dangle into the black space of the tunnel below. He put on his hard hat, switched the light on and quickly disappeared into the darkness below. When Kevin reached the bottom he took a flashlight from his backpack, turned it on and waved it towards the opening to alert them to come on down.
"Ladies first," Clark said, gesturing at the open manhole.
"You know, Clark," Lois told him as she sat down and prepared to enter the sewer, "you don't always have to be a gentleman."
"I can't help it. It's the way my mother raised me."
Lois smiled to herself as she climbed down the metal rungs. Clark's parents were both such nice people, it stood to reason that their son would be just as nice. So what did that make her? Her parents were neurotic and often borderline insane. Her smile disappeared. Some thoughts were best left alone.
Like thinking about Rachel's drunken confession. Rachel had made it sound so practical, so clinical, even. Lois didn't want to think that she was a prude, but it just seemed so… like Cat Grant. If Cat was to be believed, she had scored with Clark before Lois had. Then again, Clark insisted that nothing happened. Was it the same kind of nothing that had happened between her and Clark that night? It made her ill to think of Clark with Cat like that.
Time for some new thoughts. What about Superman? His demeanor had definitely changed towards her. Had he told Clark how she had thrown herself at him before she accepted Lex's proposal? Or did Clark guess that for himself since she had asked him to find Superman for her? Lois watched the light on Clark's hardhat bobbing as he descended towards her. How much did he know? How many secrets was Clark carrying around? Was he everybody's confessor?
Once Clark reached the tunnel floor Kevin took off again. The tunnel was wide enough that they could walk three abreast.
"You can get to the Metro Transit system, the phones, the electrical, the water, the sewer and even the mail from here," Kevin told them.
"The mail?" Lois looked around, there were pipes and wires affixed to the walls and ceilings of the tunnel and she had a hard time picturing a mail truck driving around in there.
"Most of Metropolis' mail is shuttled through a pneumatic tube system from the main post office to the satellite branches. It cuts down on traffic and it's much more efficient."
"I guess the only thing missing are catacombs," Clark said.
"Nope, we've got those too. There was an outbreak of yellow fever in the 1870's - some of the bodies were hurriedly buried in here when the death toll became overwhelming. Some people say it's haunted. They give tours through here around Halloween."
"Got any alligators?" Lois asked sarcastically.
"I haven't seen one yet, but there's always a first for everything. You guys need to stay with me. If we get separated, stop where you are and wait. Don't try and find your way out. You won't know the meaning of the word 'lost' until you've become disoriented down here."
Clark leaned down to whisper to Lois, "He means you."
"Hmph," Lois let her elbow swing back and strike his ribs. "I never get lost. I have an innate sense of direction."
"Oh, right. I must have been thinking of someone else."
"Here we are," Kevin said and shone the light on a thick braid of insulated cables. "See anything out of place?"
They both shook their heads, their headlamp beams dancing over the cables. "No," Clark said.
Kevin directed his flashlight's beam over a smaller cable running out from the cluster. "There you are. It would have been quicker to just pull a line out and shove it under the manhole there." He pointed with the light so they could see the underside of the manhole. The insulated wire ran over to it.
"Whoever he is, this is a professional job. This guy has craft. He didn't just splice in a wire, look at this." The flashlight's beam focused on a small box, about a foot away from the end of the wire. "That's a breaker box that operates off a remote control. He was able to turn it on and off so that no one but his target was injured."
"And you've just left it there!" Lois was aghast. "What's to stop him from doing it again?"
Kevin pointed with the light at the very end of the wire. "I've capped it, it's not a live wire now. We left it like this for the police. Guys who take this much pride in their work usually leave a signature. Hopefully the police can track the bastard down. I know you guys are friends with Superman. I was hoping you could ask him to keep an eye out, watch for anyone working solo or late at night. The city's just too big to be able to check for his handiwork to prevent him from doing this again."
"Thanks, Kevin. You can count on Superman's help. And we'll cite you as an anonymous MetEd technician," Clark assured him.
"Thanks. I appreciate that," Kevin said with a nod.
Kevin led them back through the tunnels to where they had come in. Lois took hold of the rungs above her and had climbed a few feet when she slipped. Clark reached out and steadied her with his hands on her hips.
"I've got you. Are you okay?"
"Yeah." Her voice wavered, but it had nothing to do with almost falling. She took a deep breath, let it out and started to climb again. Clark's hands dropped from her hips but the lamp from his helmet tracked her as she climbed. She gave a rueful grin. Clark would never let her fall.
"Do yourself a favor, find a buddy to sleep with. Maybe even Mr. Kent here."
Lois mentally cursed at Rachel for putting the idea in her head. No, she told herself. That idea was already there and you know it.
Lois reached the street and then watched as Clark's light bounced closer and closer as he climbed up.
"I could make you forget him."
What about Superman? No - she couldn't ask him. The last time she had thrown herself at him it had ended in her humiliation. He was still avoiding her, he'd probably leave Metropolis and never come back if she offered him no-strings-attached affair.
Clark helped Kevin slide the manhole cover back in place. As Clark stood up straight he caught sight of Lois' face. She had the same intrigued expression on her face as she had that morning when he caught her watching him chew the pencil. What was she thinking? Was she thinking about that night?
They handed back their hardhats and thanked Kevin again. Clark watched him walk away, not trusting himself to look at Lois. He should have been thinking about what Kevin had just showed them, but he wasn't. His mind was replaying that conversation with Rachel. More specifically, something that Lois had said.
"Sex and romance are two completely different issues."
He knew that night was not about romance for Lois. At the time he couldn't really say it was about romance for him. He had seduced her; his only defense was that he wasn't himself when he did it. He was grateful for the reprieve, for the fact that neither of them ever mentioned it. It was only at moments like this, when he'd catch Lois looking at him curiously, that he allowed himself to remember what had almost been.
Clark was full of the deepest shame that he had let things go so far that night. It was harder than ever to keep her at arm's length when he was in the suit. He wanted her so desperately - wanted to touch her again, to make her cry out in pleasure like she had that night - it would almost be worth allowing Superman to make love to her.
It was only the fact that it would create an even larger deception that kept him from breaking down and giving in to her seductions. She was killing him, slowly but surely, with every passing day. The time was coming when she was going to drive him right over the edge and get exactly what she was asking for.
Why, oh why, couldn't she just want him as Clark?
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"Superman, is there any hope for us? You and me? I'm so completely in love with you. I can't do anything else without knowing."
He couldn't look at her. He dropped his head and shook it, momentarily tongue-tied. How could he reject her without hurting her?
"Lois, I do care for you. But there are things about me that you don't know. That you may never know."
"It doesn't matter. I know you. I don't mean you the celebrity or you the superhero. If you had no powers at all, if you were just an ordinary man, leading an ordinary life, I would love you just the same. Can't you believe that?"
She honestly believed that and Clark wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. It was the deepest irony that she didn't want him as Clark but she was infatuated with his alter ego. It was taking all his willpower not to blurt out the truth to her right now. She was so earnest, so hopeful. He felt sorry that he had to break her heart like this, even as part of him relished the idea that he could make her hurt just as much as he did.
"I wish I could, Lois. But under the circumstances, I don't see how I can."
As soon as her back was turned he flew away. He couldn't be around her, not when his own heart was breaking right along with hers.
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Lois spent the next day with Rachel's words in her ear. Every movement Clark made held new importance. She couldn't stop watching his hands. Dancing over the keyboard, gesturing to Perry, holding a mug of coffee… It was enough to drive a girl crazy.
Near the end of the day she left to cover a warehouse fire. Perry had wanted to assign it to Clark but, once again, he had skipped out to who-knows-where. Lois arrived in time to see Superman talking with the building's manager. Lois strode towards him, calling out his name loudly.
"Hello, Lois," he said politely as she bore down on him, a determined look on her face.
Superman was too polite. He had been so distant for the past few months and it hurt. What was his problem? Not the first time she bitterly regretted telling him her true feelings. She had told Lex "yes" almost immediately afterwards. What must he think of her? That she was desperate for a man? How could she ever explain her actions to him?
"Can I ask you a few questions?" She asked as she came close enough that he couldn't fly away without appearing rude.
"Of course," he nodded.
She knew this was unfair. He was expecting an interview about the fire, not an ambush. "Superman, are you avoiding me?"
"No, of course not." He looked almost guilty as he answered her. For the first time she wondered if Superman was lying to her.
"It feels like you are. Do you realize this is the first time I've really seen you since… well, since before I almost married Lex."
"I guess you've been staying out of trouble." Clark shifted uncomfortably, looking over Lois' shoulder for an excuse to leave but not finding one.
"Should I start jumping off of buildings if I want to see you?" Lois asked flippantly, hoping that the question sounded casual and not anxious.
"I wouldn't recommend it."
"Could I ask you out? You know, I'll buy if you'll fly?"
"Lois, I… We can't have this discussion right here."
"This discussion? This isn't a discussion! This is one friend asking another when she can see him."
Clark took hold of her arm, gently leading her around the corner and into the alley. He had to end this, right here and right now. He couldn't avoid her as Superman for the rest of his life. "Lois, I can't really date anyone. Surely you can understand that."
Lois wasn't about to give up without a fight. He cared about her, she knew he did. There wasn't anything that love couldn't work out. "You hang out with Clark, why can't we be friends like that?"
"That's different." He flushed and looked away. "I should go."
Now or never, she thought. "Wait!" She grabbed his arm to delay him. He half-turned and she made up the difference, grabbing him and kissing him. He wavered for a second. Then his hands moved to her shoulders and she was certain he was going to set her aside and fly off. Instead his mouth opened hungrily against hers while one of his hands moved to the back of her head to hold her in place. Lois groaned, wrapping her arms around his neck as his tongue slid possessively against hers.
Suddenly he pulled away, his eyes wide with shock. "I have to go, Lois. This can't happen. We just, I can't do this. Not with you. Not like this. Not ever. I'm sorry."
She leaned back against the building behind her and watched him disappear into the clouds. Her throat felt tight and her vision had become blurry. He had just rejected her. Utterly and completely without offering much of a reason.
"Not with you. Not like this. Not ever."
He made it sound so personal - he couldn't be with her. He didn't say he couldn't be with anyone, just her. What was it about her that repulsed him so much?
Her lips still tingled from the kiss. The only man who'd ever come close to kissing her like that was… Clark.
That night.
If she was honest with herself she really did want to know if that night was a fluke. Was it that good because the world was ending? Or was Clark just that skillful? Was she a slut for wanting two different men? Would Clark turn her down if she offered him the same deal as Tony and Rachel? Superman certainly wasn't about to take her up on something like that and she'd die before she'd throw herself at him again.
Would Clark agree to it?
It was possible, she thought. Very possible. She had seen the way he looked at her when he thought she didn't notice. They had slept together once and the world hadn't ended. She grinned to herself. Literally, it hadn't ended. And their partnership, their friendship, had continued without a hitch.
Was it worth a shot? She blushed as she remembered the way he had touched her. Yeah, it was worth asking him. They'd already proven they could compartmentalize sex from friendship.
Just being around Clark anymore was distracting. She wasn't sure if it was the memory of what had been or the thought of what might be. She only knew she wanted more where that came from.
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Lois went over to Clark's apartment but he wasn't home yet. She took out her lock-pick kit and made quick work of his front door. He really ought to get a deadbolt - he was far too trusting. She let herself in and sat on the couch to wait for him.
Fifteen minutes later Superman landed on the back patio. Lois stood up in panicked astonishment, her instincts telling her to hide, quickly. Which was ridiculous. Like he wouldn't hear her, or find her with his x-ray vision. Superman came inside and then stood absolutely still when he caught sight of her.
They both stared at each other in dismay. Lois spoke first. "Clark's not here."
"Oh," Superman said, looking more flustered than she had ever seen him before. That kiss must have really rattled him. "I'll just be going then."
"It's okay! We didn't have plans or anything. I was just going to talk to him."
"No, that's okay. Good night, Lois." It was blatantly obvious that he didn't want to be anywhere near her. She was grateful she hadn't propositioned him more than she already had.
"Did you want me to give him a message?" she asked.
"No, no message. I'll catch him later."
Was he coming over here to talk to Clark about her? Did they talk about her? Did he know about that night? It was too mortifying to even contemplate. Lois rushed across the apartment and then froze on the steps as the door opened.
"Lois, what are you doing here? Is something wrong?" Clark tried to look surprised to find her inside. It didn't matter, she wasn't looking at him.
"I, uh, I was just leaving."
"You waited for me to come home so you could leave?" Why was she there? He thought at first she had come to ask him to find Superman, but her shock on seeing him in the suit had ruled out that possibility.
"You know what? It was stupid of me to come over tonight. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come here."
"But you're here now and obviously something is bothering you. Stay, please. Talk to me."
Lois wavered. She wanted to know if he had said anything to Superman, if maybe that could explain why Superman didn't want her.
"I have to ask you something and I want you to swear on a stack of bibles that you'll tell me the truth."
"Okay," he told her.
"Promise!"
"I promise." He held up his right hand as he said the words.
"Do you ever talk to Superman about me?" Lois watched for his reaction and was reassured to see that Clark looked perplexed and maybe even a little offended.
"What?"
"Superman was just here and… something happened earlier. I don't want to talk about it, so don't ask. Anyway, I thought he might have come here to talk to you about it. So do you two discuss me?"
"No."
"Never? Never ever? Not even a 'you wouldn't believe the dumb thing Lois did today' kind of conversation?"
"No, I promise." He held up his right hand again. It was basically the truth.
"Does he know? About that night?"
"I've never told him about that night." Clark figured that was the best way to put it. Did he know? Duh. But he certainly hadn't told Superman about it.
"So what do you two talk about?" Lois couldn't help the stab of jealousy she felt at the thought of Clark and Superman hanging out without her.
"Sports. Stories I'm working on. Stuff like that."
"Oh." Lois glanced around his apartment. She suddenly seemed to be able to look everywhere but in his direction. She sat on his couch, clasping her hands in front of her. Clark noticed they were shaking. He sat down in the chair and waited. She obviously had something else she wanted to say.
Lois took in a shaky breath as her heartbeat seemed to thunder in her ears. She had to ask. She had to know. "Do you ever think about that… thing we agreed never happened?"
Clark looked away. He couldn't believe she was bringing this up. She had made him swear they wouldn't ever discuss it again. "I, uh..." Did she really want him to answer that honestly? Was this a trick question? What if she was testing him to see if she could trust him to keep it secret?
"I do," she added softly. "I think about it a lot."
"You do?" Clark looked at her in complete amazement. His own hands started to shake.
"So how bad do you think about it?" she asked.
"What?" His mouth had gone dry. Why did she want to know?
"Just answer the question." Lois looked him directly in the eye.
"Bad," he admitted in a whisper. "Really bad."
Her stomach tightened and she knew there was no way she'd be able to stand up right now without her legs giving out.
"Me, too," she admitted. "What if it happened again?"
Clark shifted uncomfortably. She was asking him as Clark. She wanted him as Clark. Was it because she didn't dare ask Superman again? It was good, wasn't it, that he was her second choice?
"Why would it happen? We're not… like that. Are we?"
"What if we were? What if we were like Rachel and Tony? What if we had an agreement? Something to ease the stress of our jobs? The problem with sex is that everyone imbues it with all this importance when the truth is it's just…"
"Procreation?"
"… an urge. An urge to be satisfied. Who's to say that a good… um, a good time, every now and then wouldn't help? We'd be more relaxed. More focused on work. It would be a good thing!"
He just stared at her, unable to speak.
"Look, if you're not interested, I'll ask someone else. I have a list," she lied.
She had made a list? Clark hesitated. Would she really make a list? He'd just bet she would. Leave it to Lois to plan an impulsive move. "Who else is on the list?" he asked.
"I don't see how that's any of your business," she huffed. He raised an eyebrow, almost certain now that she was lying. Lois plunged ahead, giving him the first name she could think of. "Joe Benton, the new sports columnist."
"Joe's Your Buddy, that Joe?" Clark clarified. Jealousy flooded through him at the thought. Joe was single and attractive. Clark had overheard the giggles and whispered conversations of his female colleagues every time Joe came through the bullpen. It didn't help that Joe made a point of going past Lois' desk on a regular basis. Clark had seen Joe touching her shoulder or her elbow to catch her attention as he said 'hi' to her.
"That's the one," Lois lifted her chin, pleased to see something flare in Clark's eyes. Had she scored a direct hit? Let him think about that one for a while.
Clark sat there, conflicted by the mixed signals from his head and his heart. She was lying, he was sure of it. But he was also certain that if he turned her down she might actually go and ask Joe to be more than her buddy. Then again, someone with Lois' unhappy past relationships wasn't about to go looking for a mindless romp, no matter what she might have convinced herself it meant. She wanted more than just an affair, she just couldn't admit it. Given time and tenderness, who was to say that she wouldn't realize it was him that she needed?
It definitely wasn't Joe. His fists clenched at the thought of her in anyone else's arms. How many nights had he imagined her with Lex? That torture had been even worse because he knew he could have prevented it - if he would just deepen the lie and let Superman woo her. If he had to sit back and watch Joe touch her with real intent… No, he couldn't go through that again. Not for anything. Especially not now when she was here, offering herself to him with absolutely no strings attached.
"Okay," he said quietly.
"Uh, so… was that a yes? What about tonight? Or did you want to wait? Maybe you need to think about this some more?"
For his part, Clark was thinking that waiting was probably a really good idea. If she had another twenty-four hours to consider this she might change her mind. All of a sudden he desperately didn't want that. But he had the suit on underneath his clothes. And there were other precautions to be addressed.
"I need to run to the store, really fast, will you still be here when I get back?"
"You're leaving?" How very Clark of him.
"You can come with me. I'm just going to the pharmacy on the corner."
"Oh," her cheeks turned hot as she realized what he meant. "No, I… I'll wait here."
"I'll be right back," he promised.
"Yeah, I've heard that before," she muttered.
He turned at the door and flashed her a smile. "I'll be right back."
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End 4/?
